Big Fat Greek Frittata

Loukoumades, Moussaka, Spanakopita, Baklava, Maria Menounos, Dolmades…it just doesn’t stop. I just love the Greek culture…and the fact that they’re passionate people just like my Italian family. Translation: we’re loud and boisterous…and we love life! Because of that, there are endless gatherings of family and friends that somehow always seem to have incredible food at the heart.

I’ve always loved Greek food and fell in love with the Greek culture the first time I went to a Greek restaurant as a kid. It was full of fun and festivities…from endless dancing and hand clapping to the breaking of plates. As a kid, how can you not love a culture where you get to break plates!?! Count me in! I wanna be Greek!

Perhaps that explains why I decided to go Greek in college and joined Sigma Phi Epsilon (ΣΦE) fraternity while at Auburn:

Fucci Goes Greek! …and poses in front of the famous Red Doors of the SigEp house at Auburn!

I loved my time as a SigEp but as we all know, aside from the letters on the door, a fraternity has little to do with anything Greek and as for the food they served at the fraternity, um, well….yeah. Are you supposed to fry lettuce?

In all seriousness, I really started diving into Greek recipes after a trip to Michigan in 2015. I traveled there for Thanksgiving with a friend of mine whose family is Greek. One thing I know about American Greeks, they’re so hospitable and they know how to throw a Thanksgiving celebration!!! This is no run-of-the-mill holiday. This is table upon table of food…AMAZING GREEK and AMERICAN FOOD!

Just check out the cookie and pie table…need I say more?

During that Thanksgiving trip, I tried to position myself in the kitchen as my friend’s stepmom made Greek recipe after Greek recipe. I wanted to respect her stepmom’s territory, but secretly wanted to try and help out and learn as much as I could. Thankfully, she was more than gracious and put me to work helping her make Baklava. From that point, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to start experimenting with some of tips and tricks she gave me.

Just a couple of weeks after that amazing trip, I found myself building my first Baklava, layer by painstaking layer.

Not bad for a first try, eh?

For Tiny Kitchen, I knew I wanted to craft a recipe that would not only give a shout out to the Greek culture, but incorporate a bit of my Italian heritage, as an homage to these two great cultures that share a passion for food, family and friends. Immediately, I thought I could do a Greek twist on the traditional Italian Frittata…and that’s exactly what I did with this recipe.

I experimented a bit with traditional Greek flavors, like feta cheese, spinach and Kalamata olives. I was a bit hesitant, at first, about adding the olives thinking they might be too tangy and overpowering for this dish, but they complement it so well. The sautéing of the olives first mutes the acidity a bit, leaving a rich, sophisicated olive flavor that really helps make this dish.

Frittatas make a great breakfast. But they’re also very versatile because they’re hearty enough to make them in advance, store them in the fridge and serve them cold for brunch or as part of a picnic.

If you’re used to making a traditional omelet, you’re half way to a Frittata and I encourage you to give this one a shot.

Once you master this Greek-inspired one, start getting creative with your own! Until next time, in honor of Greek Independence Day on March 25, ΖΗΤΩ Η ΕΛΛΑΣ! Long live Greece!

Big Fat Greek Frittata

Prep10mins

Cook15mins

Total25mins

Yield18" Frittata

Loukoumades, Moussaka and Yanni…three of the greatest things to come outta Greece! In celebration of the Greek culture, we’re cooking up our Frittata with golden Greek touch! ΖΗΤΩ Η ΕΛΛΑΣ! Long live Greece!